Mandi, July 9
Over 300 flood-ravaged villagers rendered homeless by floods in the Banjar subdivision in Kulu district and Bali Chowki and Chachiyot in Mandi district run a high risk of water-borne diseases and infections as the flood and landslides have contaminated water sources in the areas.

Though the rain has subsided and rivers have receded, but the flood-hit villagers in the Sainj and Tirthen valleys in Kulu district and Bali Chowki and Chachiyot in Mandi district are yet to receive aid or help from the government, revealed reports here.

The flood and landslides have washed away or damaged over 40 houses, rendering over 300 persons homeless, exposing them to the risk of infections.

Over 15 houses in Bali Chowki and four houses in Naglau in the Thunag area in Chachyot tehsil and three houses were damaged at Nau in Panrsa in Mandi district due to the heavy rains, the reports said.

Residents of the Karsog block are facing water crisis as over six IPH schemes have been washed away or damaged due to the heavy rain, contaminating the water sources, revealed the reports here.

In Ratvakhandi in Kulu district the Rs 4 lakh IPH scheme was washed away in the landslides, causing water scarcity in the villages. The IPH schemes have been damaged at several places in the Gushaini and Bathar areas, where over 100 villagers have been rendered homeless by the flooded Sainj and Tirthen rivers. The villagers complained that that neither officials of the Health Department nor engineers of the IPH departments had visited them, leave alone the restoration of the water and electricity and telecommunication services.

In Mandi town the residents complained of muddy water after the flood. Water pumps installed at the Mina IPH supply station is submerged in the Beas below Sauli Khud. “The IPH is supplying water from other sources which are more or less discarded”, they rued.

The Executive Engineer, IPH, Mandi town, Mr M Dhiman said the

supply was disrupted for two days as the Beas rose abnormally. “Now it has been restored, and we are treating the water chemically”, he claimed.

Pointing out the risk of water borne-diseases health experts said the flooded houses could cause infections.

There is no provision for spraying DDT, or Baygon and other sprays in these villagers. This in turn has exposed them to risk of water borne-diseases when it rains again”, the health experts warned.

But the SDO Civil, Banjar Subdivison Mr Rohit Jamval said they had sent teams to distribute relief among the flood hit families.

The IPH Superintending Engineer, Mandi division, Mr B.D. Thakur said there was no major damage to the IPH schemes in the region.

“We are getting field reports and have already directed the field staff to treat water chemically before it is supplied to the consumers. We add chlorine and the bleaching powder regularly to the water supplies.”

KULU: Meanwhile, Mr Raghubir Singh Thakur, Parliamentary Secretary, Deputy Commissioner Lahaul and Spiti and a team of doctors was flown to the Lahaul valley today for a search and rescue mission.

Mr Chauhan, Additional Deputy Commissioner, said the helicopter went up to Sarchu in Lahaul but could find any stranded tourist as the road from Sarchu to Jispa and Kelong to Manali were already open.